Week 13. Finally the first trimester is in the rear-view window. I can't tell you how glad I am. The second trimester is supposed to be where the mommy-to-be begins to feel human again. Morning sickness is supposed to subside and energy levels are supposed to return to normal. Of course, you also begin to gain weight and show. But even so, feeling better is always a plus!

As our baby continues to develop, the vocal cords begin to form. The face is looking more and more human each day as the eyes begin to move closer together instead of being on the sides of the head and the ears move to a normal position. It would be possible now to determine the baby's sex by looking at the genitals if we could only get close enough. (We usually can't "guess" via ultrasound until around the 16th week.) The intestines move farther into the baby's body; the liver begins to secrete bile and the pancreas begins to produce insulin. A very busy week indeed!

Morning sickness has indeed lessened. I've only been sick once in the past 4 days. Yeah! Strangely, though, I've been making frequent visits to the lady's room (five times per night sometimes), and that's getting a bit annoying. Lastly, I've felt some weird pulling and stretching-type twinges from the region in question. I assume my body is making room for what is to come.

On another front, I have not one, but two baby showers to attend on Saturday, July 16th. Shopped for all kinds of baby stuff. Still haven't purchased anything for my own baby, and this has my pucker factor rising rapidly. Still, those registries are the way to go, man! (Assuming you are shopping at a well-organized store that actually has the right stuff behind the right sku.)